Latency
by Writer Of Worlds
Summary: Mac had kept his feelings for Ryu in latency for years…but now it's too late. Character death, blood. Inspired by a song on Newgrounds which is sadly deleted. Dedicated to Paradigm of Writing, who is an amazing writer and awesome friend. Mac x Ryu.


**Title: Latency**

 **Fandom: Super Smash Bros.**

 **Rating: T**

 **Genre: Romance/Tragedy**

 **Summary: Mac had kept his feelings for Ryu in latency for years…but now it's too late. Character death, blood. Inspired by a song on Newgrounds which is sadly deleted. Dedicated to Paradigm of Writing, who is an amazing writer and awesome friend.**

 **Pairings: Little Mac x Ryu**

 **A/N: I know, this isn't a new chapter for Fell Agreement, don't remind me, Paradigm. XD Anyway, I'm listening to this AMAZING song called Latency (Pianoed) on Newgrounds, by ecstoman. Sadly, the creator deleted the song, but it remains in my music list from downloading it a year or so ago. It remains as my favorite song out of everything from Newgrounds (which I find songs that fit my needs every day). Fun fact: Latency Pianoed is actually a remix of a song from someone else (can't think of who).**

 **WARNINGS: Character death, blood.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anyone in the SSB fandom.**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

 **Latency**

Rain poured down from the dark clouds and onto the earth. Dry dirt became muddy puddles, and the grass had raindrops dripping down from their tips. The streets were slippery and wet, making it unsafe to drive in this time. The moon and stars that once illuminated the night sky had been concealed by the dark clouds.

A red Jeep pulled up near the sidewalk, just outside of a cemetery. Tombstones carved with names and paired with birth years and dates of death were stuck in the ground, with flowers that had wilted long ago, lying on the resting places of the dead. The entrance's barred fence was decorated with many types of flowers, such as red roses and pale pansies in remembrance of those who were buried in this cemetery. A sign that read "Smash Cemetery" hung from one of the bars of the fence.

The door on the driver's side of the Jeep opened, and out came a young man wearing green shorts and a pink jacket, the hoodie concealing his face partially. He frowned as he walked into the cemetery.

In his right hand was a bouquet of roses, fastened together with a red bow. The man sighed as he walked through the cemetery, not bothering to glance at the other graves.

He approached one tombstone, which had been decorated with a red headband tied around it. Red roses were littered in front of it, with some of them wilted due to age. The carved stone read: _Ryu._

The man gazed down at the grave before kneeling down in front of it, not even caring that his shorts were being soaked due to the rain.

"Hey, Ryu," he spoke softly, trying to crack a smile. "I hope you're doing well in the afterlife."

Of course, there was no response, but the man continued, "I'm doing all right. Ken is still training without you, and Chun-Li is still continuing her work. But…" he felt a tear trying to escape from his eye, but he held it back as he sniffled. "I miss you. The other Smashers miss you. I wish you hadn't sacrificed your life for me that day…"

He closed his eyes as a flashback appeared in his mind.

* * *

 _The battle against Master Core was arduous and exhausting, but thanks to Ryu and Little Mac's efforts, it had finally been destroyed. All that was left was a Smash Ball-like item that gently floated down to the ground._

 _Ryu stared at it, his eyebrows furrowed. "What is this?" he asked._

 _Little Mac shrugged. "Not sure…but…we did it."_

 _Ryu smiled and he held his fist up, indicating that Little Mac should fistbump him. Recognizing the motion, Little Mac raised his fist and their fists connected gently. "It was a tough fight, but," Ryu said, "we did it. Now Master Hand won't bother us anymore with his schemes."_

 _Little Mac blushed. Ever since Ryu had joined the Smash Mansion, the two became good friends. Despite their different fighting styles, they enjoyed training with each other and spending time together, just hanging out. But lately, Little Mac started to have different feelings for the martial artist. He never told this to anyone—not even his trainer, Doc—but he was actually gay. He found out about this since Ryu had come along and walked into his life. However, he squashed them down hard, afraid that Ryu would reject him not as a lover, but also as a friend._

 _The two were about to leave Final Destination when Ryu heard a small crackle. He turned, and his eyes widened upon realizing that the Smash Ball item…was about to attack. The ball suddenly shot into the air, aiming a powerful electric attack_ _at Little Mac._

 _Ryu gasped. "MAC! GET DOWN!" he screamed._

 _Little Mac turned to face him. "Huh—"_

 _Before he could say anything else, Ryu tackled him, shielding Little Mac with his own body as they laid on the ground._

 _The ball sent out blasts of electricity, hitting Ryu. Ryu screamed in pain as blood began to trickle from his mouth._

 _Little Mac froze when he heard Ryu's screams. "RYU!" he cried out._

 _The ball stopped its electricity attack and exploded. Little Mac attempted to turn on his back to see Ryu's condition._

 _He wished he hadn't._

 _Ryu's back had been severely penetrated; the electricity from the ball had burned his skin and arced across his back, leaving large holes in its wake. Now, blood oozed in spurts from the wounds and Ryu coughed up more from his mouth. This sight had scarred and frightened Little Mac as the boxer cried out, "RYU! My God…are you okay?!"_

 _Ryu looked down at his friend, smiling weakly. "Mac…thank you…for everything…my friend…" After his final words, Ryu closed his eyes, his body going limp._

 _Little Mac's heart broke, tears streaming down his face. "Ryu! NO! Please…" he screamed, shaking his friend's body in an attempt to wake him up._

 _Ryu did not wake up. And he would never open his eyes again._

" _Ryu…no…" A wave of guilt swept over Little Mac; not only did he let this happen, but he also keeping his feelings latent. He held Ryu's body close to him, sobbing into his friend's chest._

" _Ryu…I LOVE YOU!"_

* * *

Little Mac felt more tears streaming down his cheeks. "Ryu…I kept this hidden since the day we met, but…I love you. I wish I wasn't such a coward and told you this when you were alive…I'm sorry…I kept it latent for so long…"

As he wiped away the tears, he heard thunder booming. Cursing at himself, he placed the bouquet of flowers in front of Ryu's grave.

"I love you, Ryu…please rest peacefully…" Little Mac sobbed, getting back on his feet. He then walked away from Ryu's grave.

He didn't look back. His feelings for Ryu will forever be in latency.

* * *

 **Constructive criticism is welcomed! :D I hope you like it Paradigm!**

 **Beta reader: h34rt1lly**


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